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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23337325">Perfect Ache</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/brewess/pseuds/brewess'>brewess</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dungeons &amp; Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons &amp; Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, F/M, Mutual Pining, Porn with Feelings, Sexual Content, can u believe, dreamscape, some humor i guess, this will be getting smutty in the next chapter, who is excited about that!?</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:15:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,128</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23337325</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/brewess/pseuds/brewess</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this in quarantine, part 2 should be up soon as well!</p><p>Morganna Song belongs to my friend Keith who answered a bunch of questions for me and he always listens to my nonsense so shoutout to you, Keith!</p><p>Chapter 1 is not explicit but Chapter 2 shall be, you have been warned.</p>
    </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Liria Heavenbreaker/Valravyn mac Fiachra</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Lucid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this in quarantine, part 2 should be up soon as well!</p><p>Morganna Song belongs to my friend Keith who answered a bunch of questions for me and he always listens to my nonsense so shoutout to you, Keith!</p><p>Chapter 1 is not explicit but Chapter 2 shall be, you have been warned.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The ship rocked and shifted unsteadily as it cut through The Sea of Triumph, their vessel not playing the part of triumphant as its bow creaked against the cresting waves. It was late in the eve, and the stars glimmered in the velvet sky. The prime moon a waxing quarter, the minor one at its peak fullness. Both celestial bodies hung heavy in the dark vastness of the heavens. The sea, an identical color to the sky, their meeting point indistinguishable to the eye. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The stars, moon, and weaving sea were the only company Liria could find as she sat cross-legged on the bow of the vessel. She had performed her usual routine; bathing-- at least as best she could aboard a ship at sea, burning the sacred incense, placing her holy icons around herself in their proper formation, wrapping her prayer beads between her hands, and settling in finally for a night of meditation with her pantheon. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>To her surprise and to her own unadmitted displeasure, she found herself empty in the hall that night. Ëredil was silent. Khalanadra was shrouded. Asol simply stared back at her, unmoving. Sinding only smiled his teasing, taunting glance, because </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course </span>
  </em>
  <span>he did. The rest of the 701 were simply not to be found this night. They did not wish to be.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Though she tried, her attempts at reaching out were not reciprocated. Frustration built in Liria’s core as she repeated the steps, attempting so desperately to be heard, to be felt down here at the surface, but her pantheon and even her patron, would not answer her call.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At last, Liria snapped from her trance, admitting defeat. The smoke of the incense still strong in her nose, the rise and fall of the ship against the water once more apparent. She would not curse her gods, </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly they want me to focus elsewhere this night, </span>
  </em>
  <span>the monk thought somberly, doing her best to hide her own annoyance from herself.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria gathered her belongings and gave a longing look to the heavens above her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What do you wish me to see..? What is your command for me on this journey..? </span>
  </em>
  <span>She pleaded to her own being, knowing no soul in her pantheon would answer her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Liria placed her jade prayer beads back around her neck where they usually hung and thought it best to retire to her quarters in the depths of the ship. She could only hope Morganna had slipped to sleep by now, lulled by the waves. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The party had been at sea for a month now, and the days only seemed to get longer and more tiresome as they drifted farther from Aramere to their destination of Norsca. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The weather was still warm and pleasing, but Liria knew soon it would turn frosty and unforgiving as they drew closer to the far northern continent. She was used to the biting cold from her days in the Iceridge Mountains in her monastery, her own warmth enough to keep the shivers at bay; she feared more for her friends, Ziff and Morganna who had never endured such a place.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria silently padded to her shared room; slipping past the quarters of Captain Tuska, she could hear the orc man’s snore loudly from behind the closed door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As she reached her own door, she opened it with a louder creak than she cared for, and also louder than her friend was expecting. Upon hearing the door open, Morganna jumped in surprise at seeing Liria back so soon.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I take it The 701 were brief tonight? You’ve hardly been at it an hour.” The wizard adjusted her robes and moved to pour her friend a cup of tea as Liria latched the door shut.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria sat across from Morganna on the floor of their shared room and accepted the petite cup of warm liquid, a soft curl of steam rose from it. “I suppose you could put it that way, yes… They were oddly silent. I do not know why.” The monk took a small sip of the herbal drink.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“701 of them and not a single one wants to talk? That’s strange. They’ve always come across as talkative-- well, at least that’s how I’ve always imagined them.” Morganna sighed, giving Liria a look of sympathy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not even Ëredil?” Morganna continued.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria shook her head in response, trying to hide her dismay of the situation from her friend. “I can only make the assumption that They wish for me to take this time to reflect and prepare myself for the coming days.” She paused, taking another sip of her tea. “Norsca is a bleak and treacherous place, even with Acheron beside us, we cannot be presumptuous about what may lie ahead.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria looked into her teacup to see some tiny leaves swirling within it, suspended in the liquid itself. They reminded her of the very ship she found herself on, crashing across the choppy waves. She only drew her gaze back when Morganna spoke again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m still sorry you got a tough crowd tonight. At least we have tea.” She held her own cup to toast with Liria’s. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria smiled warmly at her friend, “That we do. And thank the gods for your magic to heat the kettle.” She raised her cup in a grateful reply before taking another deep sip, her eyes slipping closed and savoring the smooth and slightly smoky taste.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A moment passed before Morganna spoke again, her tone changing from casual to now more direct. “Do you remember when I used the Dream spell and you observed the Queen's dreams?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria raised a brow, “Yes, I do. It was a strange feeling, I could not help but feel like I was intruding.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morganna nodded, “Well, I had a thought about that. I was thinking we may be able to put it to use again tonight.” She set her empty cup down and picked up her spellbook from the adjacent table and joined Liria on the floor. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh? And do I dare ask what you are alluding to?” Liria’s brow remained arched as she waited for clarity from her friend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The wizard skimmed a few pages before flipping deeper into the tome to where she had been keeping her meticulous notes. The page filled with numerous symbols and formulae; some scratched out with ink, others illuminated with golden highlights. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I see this is where all my gold ink went when I lent it to you.” Liria gestured at one section that was exceptionally shimmering.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I may have gotten a bit carried away… sorry. I’ll replace it for you when we hit port.” Morganna said sheepishly, turning a few more pages. “In any case, I’ve been wondering...” she hesitated slightly, hoping this was as good an idea as she’d been letting herself think. “Do you think it would be possible for me to send you into a dream again.. Into Valravyn’s dream?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The silence that followed, though brief, was unexpected.</span>

The pain of being separated from her lover had weighed heavily on Liria since the beginning. Some days the deep longing for him was so great, she could scarcely think of anything else. Other days she was fraught with the fear that he had forgotten her, or worse still, had met his end and she hadn’t been there to protect him.

</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morganna picked up again, noting her friend’s widening eyes. “I was thinking that if I could send you to him, and you could make contact, you may be able to tell him that you’re, well, alive.” Morganna gesticulated at her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria held her breath until it was hot in her chest, she exhaled uneasily. “You would be able to do that? I do not even know where he is.” She did her best to ignore the flush she felt come to her face and the tossing inside her stomach. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, as long as he is on this plane, which, correct me otherwise but, I think is likely.” Morganna pointed at a note in the corner of the page, “You’ve told me enough about him so I can find him with relative ease and send you to his dream. The question really is, do you think that you can reach him and tell him?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A new expression fell across Liria’s features, one of determination and resolve. “He will listen. I shall make him.”</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<span>Morganna shut her spellbook with one hand and snickered in agreement, “You’re quite convincing, this is true.” She stood with care as the ship still rocked and swayed under the pressure of the sea waves, and offered Liria a hand up. “Let’s get started then.” She finished with a grin.</span><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Liria accepted the hand up, “Morganna, thank you. You do not have to do this, but you are, and it is very kind of you. The gods truly blessed me to encounter a soul such as you for a friend.” There was genuine appreciation and warmth in her expression.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve done greater things for me, and I know this has been weighing on you. It’s the least I can do.” Morganna replies, using her other hand to give Liria’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “I’m sure you have a lot to discuss with him, we better get to it.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria nodded, moving to the other side of the room where she had set up her makeshift quarters, if one could even call them that; a small woven blanket where she retired each night, nothing more. She settled herself upon it, breathing deeply, and awaited Morganna.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It will be like last time we did this, nothing new there. And I won’t be able to hear you or see you two, you can come back whenever you like.” Morganna swiped the pillow from her bedroll and placed it on the floor before sitting across from her friend.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Whenever you’re ready.” Morganna said in a hushed tone, producing her hands that now housed a pale blue glow, magic weaving between her very fingers.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria’s eyes slipped shut and she nodded for her friend to begin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her nerves settled as she felt the familiar coolness of Morganna’s magic swirl around her. The twisted feelings of anticipation, adrenaline, and apprehension slowly began to unwind as the magic dulled her senses to their shared room. Harsh outlines faded and softness overtook her as she felt herself slip farther and farther away from the ship.</span>
</p>
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</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Warmth</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>And here we get spicy. Chapter 1 was not explicit but here in Chapter 2, there will be some sex. You've been warned.</p>
<p>Thank you to all my pals who hyped me up as I wrote this.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day was finally over. Finally. Over. Valravyn had never been more relieved to retire to his tent and shut out the tiresome world. He had spent the majority of the day drenched to the bone as he made his way southbound. The sky had opened at midmorning and the deluge refused to cease. He had promised to himself to carry on ahead until reaching the border, not wanting to lose more time than he had already.</p>
<p>That seemed like a lifetime ago, now all Valravyn could think of was the frigid, wet, chill making a home in his body. It was a miracle in itself that he had been alert enough to see the crack in the rock face as he crossed through into Mirdonia; the inlet in the stone offered him just enough shelter to get a fire going and set up his tent all whilst remaining relatively dry. Valravyn had hung his soaked clothes to dry out near the crackling fire and hoped that morning would bring sun. </p>
<p>He wasn’t even hungry, just cold, shivering even. He was all too happy to replace his leather boots with the spare wool socks he kept at the bottom of his backpack and wring out the excess water from his long dark hair before slipping into his cozy fur-lined bedroll. </p>
<p>Valravyn kept a hand around the locket pendant that hung from his neck, tracing its smooth edge until he felt his eyelids grow heavy. Soon, the sound of the rain faded away with the last light as he slipped into a deep sleep.</p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The fog hung in thick clouds all around her as Liria descended into an unfamiliar place, her vision hazy and devoid of color. Grey and black hues were all she could make sense of as she delved further into the Dreaming Realm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew she was alone here, she couldn’t feel Morganna’s cooling blue magic any longer and the background commentary of her pantheon was utterly silent, unable to be reached. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I must be close, </span>
  </em>
  <span>she thought to herself, recalling the last time she went into a dream. In the Dreaming Realm, no outside voices could be heard, god or mortal, it left only the dreamer, the messenger, and potentially the Dream-Stealers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria internally shuttered at the thought of the Dream-Stealers being here and listening, watching her move. As her vision began to clear and sharpen, she could only hope this attempted contact with her paramour wouldn’t prove to be foolish and dangerous. Putting Valravyn in danger… she would not even entertain that notion.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria’s vision shifted further in the Dream, she felt her feet land on solid ground. It was hard and cold, reminding her of the stone steps in her monastery. Details began to twist and take form, as a hallway of doors stretched out before her, the light of the dreamscape still all shadows and twilight.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria took a centering breath, pushing her apprehension aside and letting yearning take its place as she started down the hallway, letting her instincts guide her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> It had been almost two years since she had last seen him, two years of her soul </span>
  <em>
    <span>aching</span>
  </em>
  <span> for his, two years of her body </span>
  <em>
    <span>longing</span>
  </em>
  <span> to touch his. The thought of hearing his voice again, of hearing her </span>
  <em>
    <span>name</span>
  </em>
  <span> in his mouth again, it was nearly enough to take the breath out of her lungs. Liria could remember every part of him with complete clarity; the way he liked to braid his hair, where he carried stress between his shoulders, his scarred and tattooed hands, rough but never rough when they touched her. She was lost in the very idea of holding him in her arms again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Whether it was due to her own trancelike thoughts fading away or the perpetually shifting dreamscape, Liria came to a door that drew her attention. She pressed her palms to the wood of the door and leaned into it to put her ear to it. Not a sound in the dreamscape, not even her own breath. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stepped back once more to examine the door further. The wood was a rich hue and intricately carved around the outside edges with a pattern of ivy and oak leaves. Liria looked to the floor to see the soft glow of firelight pour from the bottom crack, it was here she realized-- The door to his room at the Blue Primrose Inn of Kadett Square in Wyngor. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His room</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Their room.</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria stepped back, raising a hesitant hand to knock at the door, before stopping herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Would he answer it? Do I simply go inside…? Would it be rude if I barged in? </span>
  </em>
  <span>Between her racing thoughts, Liria watched as a handle manifested before her on the door. It was identical to the one she remembered from the inn. She didn’t think, and let her faith act instead. She let her hand grasp the iron of the handle and push the door open.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And there he was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn was sitting in the center of the bed engrossed in whatever he was reading. The bed looked freshly made, the ruby colored quilt more vibrant than Liria recalled-- Now that she stood in the room, all of it looked brighter. Valravyn however, looked just the same as she had remembered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria took a few careful steps forward before letting herself finally speak, to say the name she had waiting on her lips this whole time. “Valravyn?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He lifted his head to the sound and the dreamscape reacted to the presence of two souls as the light seemingly dimmed. His soft gaze meeting hers as the familiar timbre of her voice filled his ears. His expression turned from fondness to sheer confusion. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You look different.” He said with bewilderment.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria’s brows raised in shock, “I look...what!?” She took a few steps closer to where he sat on the bed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Every dream I have had of you... you look the same as when I last saw you.” He began to take on Liria’s shocked expression, the befuddlement still present in his voice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know this is a dream!?” Liria’s voice pitching up in surprise.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course I know this is a dream, and you’re a figment of a thousand happy memories, and don’t get me wrong, I love the visits and love thinking about you before the-- well, the everything. But you look different, why do you look different?” Valravyn’s brow furrowed as he tossed the book in his hands aside and crossed his arms on his chest. “And not to say I don’t like the hair, it looks great grown out, but seriously… what is this?” Words poured out of his mouth and the question count mounting higher.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I…” Liria started, unsure of how to feel at this reaction from him. It was completely unexpected, but she felt silly now, assuming he would be easygoing and casual, rather than the skeptic she remembered and had come to so deeply love. </span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You always were the doubter, Valravyn, always so cynical.” A bittersweet laugh escaped her lips as she took another step closer, now at the edge of the bed. Liria continued, this time with sincerity in her tone, “I… I am not dead. Not any longer.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn nodded, “Alright, well, I’ve already heard that one, so I’m going to need a better joke from you. I guess I’ll just assume the new hair is my psyche mixing things up for me. Joy.” Sarcasm potent in his words.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria’s face grew pained at his words, “Will you not believe me?” Her voice now a solemn whisper.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How could I, Lir?” Valravyn shrugged, “Each night I dream of you and for the longest time I would hope that when I woke up, we’d be back here, tangled in bed together. But I’m always alone.” He pauses, running a hand through his dark hair, “Only so many times a man can endure that trick before he goes mad.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An unpleasant silence filled the air as Liria gathered her thoughts, never had he felt farther away from her than he did in this moment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn broke the quiet, “So. You’re here. Sort of. And I’ve killed the mood. So what now, then?” He shifts to sit cross legged, resting his chin in his palm.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is there nothing I can say to convince you otherwise?” Her voice still hushed and wounded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yikes, Lir, you really know how to tug at the heartstrings. Every night you seem to find a new way to haunt me.” He laughed his own bitter laugh this time, it was now becoming clear to Liria how broken he was. He was still reeling in grief from her death, torn apart by the world he now lived in, and unwilling to see what was so indisputably before him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria swallowed the tears that threatened to flow from her eyes and moved to sit on the bed with her dear beloved. She now had a full view of him, and she saw how he too was different than when she last saw him and not the man she remembered. His face bore a newer scar, deep claw marks across the left side of his face, his eyes a hazier blue-grey, his pupils inhuman and vaguely animalistic, his body lean and underfed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing it all, Liria could not hold in her tears any longer. “Oh, my love, what happened to you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hearing her voice quaver, figment or not, it was a dagger in his chest, “Ehhh, well, you know.” Valravyn gestured vaguely. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What a nightmare. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He silently cursed himself for dreaming up such an agonizing encounter. Closing his eyes, he hoped he could will himself awake and escape this torment. An unexpectedly soft touch from a warm hand brought him from his reverie. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No. I do not know.” Liria had rid her face of her tears and placed her hand in the space where his neck and shoulder met, stroking his jaw with her thumb. “I know not a single thing that has become of you since I was pulled away. And I am sorry for that.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her touch was so gentle and calming, just as he had remembered it always had been when she was alive. It was almost overwhelming, she was so bright and felt so present, so </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive</span>
  </em>
  <span> to him. “Pulled away?” Valravyn started, “Liria… you died.” He hated thinking about how he had held her lifeless body in his arms before it crumbled to dust, slipping through his very fingers. “You </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> dead.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria shook her head, “No. I am not. And you are going to listen to me. You are going to believe me. I shall make you.” Her voice an equal mix of pleading and confidence in her own truth. She shifted again, moving closer to him on the bed, and now using both her hands to cradle his face, and force her paramour to look at her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was here where she told it all, desperately, praying with all her strength that she could reach him, find the part of him that wanted to believe. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She steadied her breath before speaking, “I awoke elsewhere. Far from where we were in Sekera, on the continent of Aramere. I do not know why, but I do know that it was not an accident or mistake of the gods.” Liria spoke clearly and with all the conviction she could muster. “There is much I must do in my time here, and I will leave none of it unfinished. I was pulled from your arms, but I shall find them again. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I will find you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn couldn’t ignore the heavy ball that formed in his throat then, her words were spoken with such poignance and desperation, they clawed at him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Looking into her charcoal eyes, he could recognize the same fear he had seen when they fought in the Battle of Westcandor— the same fear he saw in himself and tried to banish. Her touch felt so authentic, so personally hers. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to believe it, he wanted this to be true, to have hope that she wasn’t lost to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Please… please…” Liria’s voice cracked as she spoke on, “I am traveling with a party of four others north, to seek a Star of Magic. One of my comrades sent me in this dream to contact you… to tell you I am alive. You… you have to believe me. I beg of you. That is why my hair is different, why I look different. But I am still me, still yours.” She searched her brain for another convincing point to make, anything.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It connected then, Liria took back one of her hands from his face to produce her left wrist. “That is why I have this.” She turned her wrist to show him. The flawless elvish script tattooed by a skillful hand, on her left wrist read his name, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Valravyn. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A wave of astonishment rippled through Valravyn as he stared at her wrist, slowly reaching to take her wrist in his hand and trace the pad of his thumb across the script. Maybe it made him a fool, to see this, here and now, dream or not— but he wanted to believe her. Her voice, her skin, her smell, the curve of her lips, it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>too perfect </span>
  </em>
  <span>and too Liria to be a version he had dreamt up himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was like a dam had broken inside him as he released her wrist and without skipping a beat, he drew her to him, closing the space between their bodies. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A fusion of relief and yearning flooded Lira’s senses, melting into the kiss she had longed for for so many moons. In this moment, he was everything she had remembered— every contour of his body, the taste of him in her mouth, every desire she had suppressed over the last few years now sharp and realized.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn pulled apart to catch his now shaky breath, his arms still coiled firmly around her. He had the full picture of her in front of him— the woman he had done all he could to protect, yet still fell short, now she was here again, alive and still in love with him. His head was overwhelmed by the loud feelings that sang in his blood. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wasn’t kidding, I really like what you’ve done with your hair. It suits you. Though I’m surprised you’re going grey so early.” Valravyn pulled back further, now running a hand through his lover’s soft hair, tucking the loose grey strand behind her ear. The smile that stretched across his features was one he never thought he could have mustered again. Proven false now that she was here. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And you remain the flatterer. Why am I not surprised?” Liria returned the gleeful, wide smile. Happy tears had welled in her eyes now, banishing the melancholy that had previously been. She felt like she was vibrating and glowing in delight, unable to keep her hands from fidgeting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria leaned into his hands that still held her face. She wanted this moment with him to last forever. She had nearly forgotten that she was technically in his dream and that this was only quasi-reality. “I have… missed you, so, so much.” She muttered against his finger that traced the outline of her lips.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I bet I missed you more.” Valravyn replied, bringing himself to her again. This kiss more urgent and wanting, as if to make up for every kiss they should have shared in the time they were separated.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No more words were needed now. His hot breath at her neck. Her fingers woven in his hair. The desire that flowed through them both, overtaking any of the previous sorrow. He plastered her neck with kisses that she was all too eager to receive; for so long she had tried to keep this craving for him at bay, and now finally she could feed it.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn didn’t need to think, he only had to act. Careful fingers untied the knot at the front of her white tunic, loosening it enough for him to lift it seamlessly over her head. He migrated from her neck to her collarbone continuing to kiss and suck with fervor, his hands now at work to unhook her breast band. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria let her head fall back, she was going to allow herself to feel. Though she wouldn’t have guessed this is where she would have ended up, she didn’t care now, all that mattered was him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The clasp released and he let the band fall to the side, carrying on his work on her. Calloused hands stroked her sides, relishing the chiseled muscle of her back and core. He kissed each breast, giving her all the attention he had wanted to pay her while they’d been apart. A faint sigh left Liria’s throat, savoring his every movement on her, but he was not done yet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn returned to her mouth, and she kissed with returned passion. Liria followed, welcoming him to lean against her once more, tilting herself so he had easier reach. She fell back into the plushness of the bed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had full access, now slipping a hand through the leggings she wore to where she was hot and wet. He could feel her shudder with anticipation, in want for </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That notion could have overtaken him there, but he settled himself, tuning out the pressure he felt growing in his own trousers. He would make her </span>
  <em>
    <span>know, </span>
  </em>
  <span>make her </span>
  <em>
    <span>feel</span>
  </em>
  <span> how much he had ached for her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn moved again, this time sitting up and retaking his hand. He shifted to sit between her legs, resuming his hungry kisses to her ribcage and stomach before using his hands once more and tugging at the top hem of her leggings. Liria arched her back at the touch, letting the last of her clothing be cast away. As she felt her paramour move south to kiss her between her legs, Liria found herself so utterly relieved that Morganna was unaware of what she was doing. Liria’s piety and preservation was usually enough of a barrier to these sort of occurrences, but here and now with her great love, any and all misgivings simply faded away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn gripped the toned muscles of her thighs as he worked at her center, focusing only on her and his desire to see her come undone around him. It was not long until she did. Liria’s toes curled as a rush of euphoria washed over her, like a massive tidal wave crashing onto a solitary beach. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He placed a few final kisses to her thigh as he drew back now to undo his trousers, the seam keeping him contained was taunt and in need of release. Next was his shirt which he made quick work of by pulling over his head. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once more the two were entangled in each other, Liria’s hands touching every part of him she could, taking in the sight of every scar, tattoo, and freckle to store away in her memory. He was hot and rigid against her body, and no matter how tightly she held him in her arms, it was not close enough.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Neither of them were thinking, only reacting to one another with impassioned frenzy. Valravyn gripped her hips so tightly, digging his nails into her soft flesh in an effort to bring her closer to him as they rolled across the cushiony bed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The feeling of moving within her again after all this time would have been enough to turn him into a god-fearing man if he had been a believer, enough for him to shake the agony from his waking bones and carry on. She was so slick and hot around him, he could barely contain himself. Each movement he made, every sound she let slip from her mouth, he drew closer to the peak.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Feeling him in her again, lit her aflame like a match being struck. A flame of memory-- of hunger and wanton. She found words then, turning her head to murmur them in his ear, “Nothing shall keep me from you again. Nothing, I swear it.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her soft, sweet words curled into his ear and the rest of the room dissolved away. He was lost in her then, his heart thrumming in his chest like a drum. He had been a starving man without her, now he was finally fed. All he could feel was the burning heat and the ravenous hunger within him subsiding. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They held one another feverishly, never wishing to be torn apart again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria gasped and coughed, as if she was regaining her breath after being underwater for too long. Her chest burned and she felt a fine layer of sweat on her skin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re awake! I was starting to wonder when you’d come to.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria rubbed her head, her eyes adjusting to the bleary light of the room. She groaned, feeling like she’d taken a fall, like an apple from a tree. Before her she saw her friend, Morganna, just as she had been. Liria was back in the shared quarters of the ship. Back to the life she now lived. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You were gone for hours, it’s nearly dawn and--... Liria, are you alright?” Morganna asked, the curiosity in her voice turning to worry.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria touched her face, then looked at her hands and down at herself. She felt unbearably hot and her muscles were jelly-like. “... Yes, I am… I am alright, it was intense, that is all.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria exhaled deeply, steading her breath and trying to will her mind back to reality.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You look like you just ran a marathon, which, well, I guess that wouldn’t be the hardest thing you’ve ever done, but still,” Her queries continued, “Did you find him? Did you learn anything?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It all flooded back to her then; Valravyn’s doubt, his questioning, his smell and his touch and his body… Liria was suddenly acutely aware of the state in which she had returned to the waking world. The heat that still radiated in her core. The soreness of her lips. The tenderness at her neck. The disarray of her hair and the clothing she wore. The aching blush that she could feel painting her skin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes… I found him.” The words finally came.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s excellent! What did he say? Do you know where he is?” Morganna’s inquiries only piled on. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria paused a moment, still reeling from the experience. “I… I think I convinced him that I am alive… but our… encounter was cut short.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morganna raised a quizzical brow, confused at her friend’s strange behavior. “Well, that’s good at least. But what do you mean, ‘cut short’?” The wizard gestured with air quotations, “Liria, you were there nearly all night. Did you learn anything at all about where he might be?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The monk swallowed, not wanting to have to explain to her friend the ordeal she had just had. “Something interrupted us. I know not what.” She tried her best to be vague, but knowing in her heart that Morganna would see through her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“An interruption? That seems strange. I suppose he could have been woken up, or…” Morganna’s sentence drifted off as she studied her friend before her, noticing the flush and disheveled state she was in. That’s when she spied the bruise that had begun blooming on Liria’s neck, and another at her collarbone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Had she gotten into a fight with something? </span>
  </em>
  <span>That was her first thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>no… she wouldn’t be so evasive if she had… </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Liria… did you… did you use my magic, to have dream-fueled sex instead of actually finding out any useful information?” Morganna could feel her own secondhand embarrassment at the notion creeping into her skin, the tips of her ears burning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria’s eyes widened with awkwardness as she averted her gaze from Morganna’s. But there was no hiding the growing rosiness of her cheeks. “It was not on purpose.” She said finally.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morganna nearly howled, covering her mouth to put her laughter at bay, “The pious monk turns irreverent. My goodness!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria only groaned, covering her face with her hands, feeling the weight of what she’d just done, “It was accidental, I swear. It just… happened.” She groaned again, realizing how foolish she sounded.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Morganna gave Liria’s shoulder a reaffirming nudge, “Don’t worry, I won’t be mentioning it to anyone else, especially not Acheron.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Liria’s hands left her face, her eyes still like saucers, “You most certainly will not!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This reaction only yielded a further laugh from Morganna, “I won’t. But I most certainly will not be letting you live this one down.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, hush, you.” Liria retorted, her cheeks pink as ever.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I only tease, Liria. I’m sorry, I’ll lay off.” Morganna replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. “If you were interrupted though, that doesn’t sit well with me…. Do you think it’s possible the Dream-Stealers noticed that you were there in their realm?” Her tone turned severe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The words sat heavy with her, where Liria had been feeling bliss she now felt a growing sense of dread. The Dream-Stealers. She had completely forgotten about them.</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>*****</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He bolted upright in his bedroll, skin tacky with perspiration, and hair matted to his forehead. Valravyn shook his head, trying to make sense of what had been so vivid and lifelike only moments before. Thunder shook the ground from outside his tent and the sound of the continued rainstorm filled his ears. The air outside his furs was cool and soothing to his blood which was boiling under his skin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Valravyn rubbed his eyes, clearing them as they adjusted to the darkness that surrounded him. Everything had felt utterly real. He could still feel her breath on his neck and her words in his head. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I swear it…  </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  He removed himself from his bedroll, cursing under his breath at how damp and sticky he felt. Valravyn had had dreams like that before, but never this palpable. He stood and waved out a few of his furs in an attempt to rid them and himself of the heat. He recollected the dream all at once as he sat there in the dark. He remembered all of her with perfect clarity; her tears, her laugh, her lips, her hair, her skin, her words. All of her.


</p><p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He touched an unsteady hand to the silver pendant at his neck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She’s alive.”</span>
</p>
<p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I hope you enjoyed this, part 2 should be up soon soon soon, and things will be getting nsfw. You're welcome.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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